We all wear many hats, don’t we? I am a mother (of 3), wife, sister, daughter, chef, nurse, housekeeper and much more. I studied Purchasing Management and worked as a buyer for an international chocolate factory, and then gave that up to care for and home school my kids. Lol, add teacher to the list! Then I discovered who I am beyond all that; a writer. While I have lived in both Ireland and New Zealand, South Africa is my present home, and the vibrancy of Africa serves as inspiration for my writing.

2) And who's the writer? How was your first book conceived?

I write Fantasy for the most part, with a dash of Sci-fi … or sci-fi with a dash of fantasy! My debut novel (The Infinity Mantle) came to me as a lightning bolt of inspiration. One day, while reading a book on Alchemy, the steps to enlightenment contained within those pages had me grabbing pen and paper and jotting them down. I started writing the next day!

Some of my work is more in a supernatural vein, with romance weaved in, while many of my short stories are contemporary and psychological. Add alternative history, dystopian tales and tongue-in-cheek humour as well. My favourite genre, though, remains Fantasy.

3) Why did you choose the Fantasy genre?

Oh, I didn’t choose the genre – it chose me! As I regarded the steps to enlightenment, an entire tale wove itself into my imagination, and the only way to tell it was to go beyond reality.

4) Is there a book or author that inspired you to be a writer?

The act of reading inspired me from childhood (I was always jotting stories down). Books as a concept inspire me, and to choose just one is almost impossible. Indie authors inspire me; the gumption it takes to put oneself out there, whatever the genre, is pure inspiration.

5) What can readers expect when they read the ILFIN OF ARC?

Firstly, Ilfin of Arc is a standalone read. Considering that my main body of work is a series, I wanted to write a story that has a beginning and an end in one book.

This really is a mighty adventure! It begins on a plateau, walks across a plain, and enters a valley surrounded by majestic mountains, and every step this army of marchers takes is dogged by reprisal … and magical solutions. Nothing is quite what it seems, though, for the march to a sanctuary summons ancient enemies to the same place, enemies that call home other worlds and other times. A backwater world is about to enter a future others regard as history. Yes, it’s about to get real!

From slavery to space, this is an adventure you will not want to miss!

6) Where can they buy a copy?

Ilfin of Arc is exclusively on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LSX5NM2

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LSX5NM2

Elaina's Work Space

7) Are you releasing a new book any time soon?

Indeed! The final book in my epic fantasy series (the LORE of Arcana/Reaume/Sanctum series that started with The Infinity Mantle) will be out by December. The Master Mechanism is the culmination of years of work and will hopefully tie up all loose ends for readers.

8) What do you love about being an author?

I love that everything and anything can launch a story! An image, a word, a conversation, a dream, a sound, music, nature’s messages in volatility and serenity, perhaps the colour of a stranger’s hair or eyes …

We live in a world of both absolute beauty and terrible events. Sometimes, the only way to transmute the horror is to write about it, to weave it into a tale, and to offer alongside the sadness and suffering the beauty of life. I love that; it’s a coping mechanism, and when readers read between the lines, they too may find acceptance.

Mostly, what I love about being an author is imagination. We can really let rip!

9) What is your message to readers?

Enjoy! Come with me on journeys through time, to other worlds, into the minds of people much like us, and face dilemmas we usually only dream about. Discover both beauty and horror, and know that love is, always, pure magic.